forum "I wouldn't date you even to save my life." "What if it's to save someone else's life?" "That person better have no loose ends to tie up." | OxO (Closed, stalkers welcome)

Started August 01, 2022 by Deleted user

tune

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Jonathan turned as the girl approached, tensing as she cut off her own finger. The receptionist yelped and ducked back down behind the counter.

As the girl ran off, Jonathan turned to glare at Christina. He wouldn’t openly admit it, but that had hit a nerve. One that reminded him that he was forever trapped in the human realm, wrongly banished by someone he had once thought a friend.

The moment her scent hit him, he was torn out of his thoughts. Herbs, why did she smell like herbs? And why was he in the mood for some tea now?

Jonathan shook his head in bewilderment. He then turned back to the receptionist, just as sirens entered the parking lot. He sighed. Why did things always have to get so complicated the moment Christina entered a room? He set down the bullets and sat down nearby, sighing again. It was going to be a long day, he already knew.

(I snicker She always stirs up trouble, Jonathan. Get used to it, lmao!)

Christina ignores the glare. She knows the nerve she hit. She did what she did precisely because of this raw wound of his.

As soon as she entered her room, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asks. No need to ask the owner of the unidentified number.

"We have another job. Jonathan. You know which one. Get close to him. Kill him."

She nods, smiling for the first time in months. "Got it."

She hangs up, then flops on the bed. But how do I get close to someone that I hate, and who hates me?

(Lol! Ooh… nice twist)

Jonathan cooperated with the pair of police officers that were investigating the shooting. He even indicated that he’d last seen Christina going into the elevator, but he didn’t mention that she’d enchanted the poor woman. The pair nodded, spoke to the receptionist, then headed up to find Christina.

He stayed seated for a while, taking a moment to relax. The receptionist clearly had the same idea in mind, because she decided to take a lunch break almost immediately after the police were done talking to her.

As Jonathan sat there, his mind and senses grew foggy and his body stilled. The only sign that Jonathan wasn’t a statue was his unusually calm breathing. It seemed like only seconds had passed when Jonathan finally came out of the fog, to the sight of a young man’s face mere inches away from him.

“Holy shit!”Jonathan burst, nearly falling out of his chair.

The youth jumped back, startled as well. He then started to frantically apologize.

Jonathan took a few deep breaths, then realized that the man was his new tenant. He waved for the youth to calm down.

“It’s alright. I… get into these ‘trances’ occasionally. They often choose the most inconvenient times to happen,”Jonathan reassured.

The young man paused, then apologized again. Jonathan waved it off, took a moment to finish composing himself, then told the youth to lead him to his room. The young man did so, and Jonathan helped him finish packing.

(Sly grin Morally grey. Someone really wants Jonathan dead. He must've done something. Of course, he won't die. That would defeat the point of all this!)

Christina hears the police coming up the stairs a while before any human could. She sighs and throws on a bathrobe; she'd just gotten out of the shower.

When the police knock on her door, she answers holding a glass of red wine. She lets them in and answers their questions without much fuss. She closes the door behind them 15 minutes later and sighs.

She rings the bell to get room service.

(Ooh, evil grin, I might have an idea on who wants him dead. He was in a war between three different races (including his own [He’s the same race as Lucitius, if it wasn’t obvious. I changed their name from Drāckonians to Ahkrethians, though]). Maybe, rogues from one of the enemy races tracked him down and wants him dead? Jonathan did have a somewhat higher up rank, and Ahkrethians won the war)

Jonathan helped the youth pack, and the man called a cab. They loaded it all, then Jonathan gave the address and promised to meet the youth later if he could manage it.

While they were doing this, the police left. Jonathan noticed that and sighed. He then noticed a guy pushing a cart for room service. For some strange reason, he became curious and approached the guy.

“Do you know who is getting all of this? I’m looking for a friend, yet the receptionist is out,”Jonathan asked.

The guy shrugged,”Some woman. Wildly attractive, but bad attitude.”

Jonathan snorted,”Um… do you mind if I follow? Also, do you serve Chamomile Tea?”

“I… guess. If she’s your friend. And, yeah. I’ll get some for you after I deliver this,”the guy replied with a shrug.

“Thank you.”

The guy shrugged again and continued on his way. They reached the room and the room service guy knocked on the door.

Jonathan stood off to the side, out of sight, though he was sure Christina would likely smell him the moment she opened the door. As they waited for Christina, Jonathan pondered why he was trying to visit her. What the hell was wrong with him? Or was he still obsessing over trying to figure out what she was?

Jonathan sighed. He didn’t know. He felt so stupid. Though, after a moment, he replayed the earlier incident in his mind, and remembered her smell as she pushed by him. Herbs. Chamomile. He had ordered Chamomile Tea. Damn his nose! And damn her feminine beauty! Why did she have to smell like herbs? Why, of all people?

(Oh, that's interesting! I chuckle I can do that. Lore twisting is a specialty of mine.)

Christina gets up to answer the door. As soon as she pulls it open, the smell of scales is overpowering. She looks at the delivery man.

"There wouldn't happen to be a tall, handsome, European looking man out of the view of the door, would there?" she asks.

(Thumbs-up. Yeah, I remember, lol!)

The guy blinked, confused for a moment. He then pointed at Jonathan.

“You mean him? He said he was looking for a friend, so…”the guy shrugged.

Jonathan cleared his throat,“I may have exaggerated the ‘friend’ part, yet nonetheless.”

The guy looked at Jonathan, then sighed.

“Anyway, here’s your stuff, miss. If you let me in, I’ll unload it. Then, I’ll grab his tea and leave you two alone,”the man said.

(I smile a bit This'll be fun.)

Christina scowls. "Yes, him. Who else would I be talking about?"

She waves the man in, then sighs.

"Jonathan." she says, her voice snapping out like a whip. "Wait there."

She lets the delivery guy out, then gets on a loose sleeveless top that bares a shoulder, and some shorts. She goes back to the door and opens it.

"Enter."

(Too late, lmao!)

The guy didn’t react to Christina’s snap. He then unloaded the cart and left to fetch Jonathan’s tea.

Jonathan watched without moving. He was still scolding himself for coming over, but he liked Chamomile. And, he still wanted to figure out what creature Christina could possibly be.

When Christina told him to enter, he jolted slightly, startled from his thoughts. He sighed, calming himself, then entered the room. He still tensed up despite his efforts.

“I have no idea why I came in here. Thus, forget asking,”Jonathan abruptly said. That was a lie technically, but it got the point across.

Christina sighs and tuts.

"Spare me the stories and lies." she says in a bored voice. "Since I know why you came. I want to hear you say it."

She turns away and starts in on the food. For someone with her beauty to tear into a whole turkey and pick the bones clean in a matter of minutes. . . well, it would put anyone off.

Jonathan rolled his eyes at her words. He then deliberately stayed quiet, watching Christina. The sight of her eating a whole turkey more inspired him than anything. He had a small breakfast before coming to the hotel, and he was starting to feel it. Though, it also gave him a clue that she was most likely carnivorous, much like himself.

Then someone knocked on the door. Jonathan stood and opened it, seeing the room service guy with a tray holding a teapot, two cups, and some additional things like sugar. The guy set the tray down on the counter and left.

The moment the door was shut, Jonathan was making himself a cup of that Chamomile Tea, inwardly berating himself for it. He then sat back down, casually drinking his scolding hot tea. He quickly finished the cup and stared at it.

“I miss my coffee mug. It’s so much bigger,”Jonathan commented. He then got up to fetch himself another cup of tea before sitting back down.

He sighed after a long moment, muttering to himself about just getting this whole encounter over with.

“Three questions. What the hell are you? Why do you smell like herbs and tea? And, how were you able to control that lass earlier? Not many folks here have any sort of magic or sorcery, and I know most of them,”Jonathan asked.

Christina senses his gaze on her, but ignores that while she moves on to the fruit platter. After she's done eating, she trains her piercing eyes on Jonathan and listens.

After a moment of silence, she snorts, trying to hold back laughter, then fails. She bursts into amused laughter. She had a nice laugh, just like she had a nice voice - whenever she wasn't snapping at you, at least. She suddenly stops laughing and narrows her eyes at Jonathan. Her pupils turned slitted, almost catlike - no, they were foxlike. The next moment, she was a melanistic red fox. She stays like that for a minute, then becomes human again. "Does that answer your questions, Jonathan?"

A shrewd look enters her eyes. "But you are far more interesting, lizard boy. What are you?"

Jonathan’s eyes narrowed slightly in thought as she ate the fruit. So, she wasn’t carnivorous, but omnivorous. Interesting.

He met her eyes with his own unmoving ones, not fazed by the intensity of her gaze at all. He then rolled his eyes when she laughed. It didn’t surprise him that she would try to mock him.

The moment Christina stopped laughing, Jonathan knew something was going to happen. Though, he hadn’t expected her to just outright morph in front of him. Into a fox, no less.

When she spoke, Jonathan had his own bout of laughter. It was deep and sharp, like rocks beating against each other. A definite contrast to his quiet, suave voice.

Him, more interesting than a fox shapeshifter? Truly? His race, Ahkrethians, were common, and many visited the human realm. In secret of course, but still, there were many Ahkrethians around.

“I suppose it does, though I’ve honestly never encountered a fox shapeshifter before. Yet, I am afraid I can’t really share what I am. My situation is… complicated,”he mentioned.

In truth, he knew it was more polite to share his own form since she’d done so, but he had not morphed to his true form in over twenty years. He was used to being ‘human’, and he didn’t like showing any vulnerability, whether greif or awkwardness, in front of others.

Christina smirks. "Surprised? I thought you intelligent enough to figure it all out without me having to say anything, and yet, you appear to be no more intelligent than the average country skink."

"Fox shifters, or kitsune, are very common here in this world. Everyone knows what we are. You are. . . less common. I have lived quite a long time. After all, I have a full nine tails. I have travelled this entire world many times. And I have never once smelled your kind." she says, getting up and pouring herself a glass of gin.

"So that begs the question: What. . . are. . . you?" she says, sitting down again.

Jonathan snorted,”Lass, I’m no average lizard, I’ll tell you that. I have only been here a few decades, so I’m not acquainted with too many other creatures here.”

He listened to her, humming in thought. It seemed that Ahkrethians were far stealthier than he’d originally thought. Or, they were simply outnumbered, since most Ahkrethians in the human realm were rogues. He wasn’t sure, though. And, that bothered him.

“I generally only tell close friends what I am. It’s a habit of mine not to announce myself to everyone in the room. Unlike you,”he replied.

"I'm no lass either." Christina replies.

"And as for the rest of what you said. . ." she adds with a shrug, downing her glass in one gulp, ". . . I stopped paying attention."

She notes his expressions.

"I don't, actually. It's easy to recognise us by our unique scents." she smiles, getting up and pouring more gin. Something outside the window catches her attention, and her smile turns feral.

"Well, Jonathan, it appears we're going to have to run." she says, downing her glass right as the window explodes inwards. "Since we can't fight what we can't see or smell. Or hear, really."

She wraps an arm around Jonathan and lifts him up, disappearing out the window and starting the 10 story fall to the concrete below.

“I call everyone ‘lass’ or ‘lad’, unless I’m being polite, then it’s ‘sir’ or ‘madam’. It’s how I talk,”Jonathan snorted.

He rolled his eyes, not even bothering to reply. Afterward, he shrugged, then quickly noticed her feral look. He turned to the window just as it exploded, his senses telling him that Christina’s words to flee were quite accurate.

He flinched as Christina picked him up, then yelped when she jumped out the window. Instinct and memory took hold of him and he grabbed Christina’s shoulder and teleported.

They appeared on the ground where they would’ve landed. Jonathan then escaped Christina’s grip, grabbed her arm tightly, and teleported again.

This time, they appeared in a forested area with a walking trail and some benches. Jonathan quickly glanced around, finding no one in sight.

“Follow me if you want to get out of here. I know this park, and it’s very easy to get lost unless you know the right way,”he said.

Jonathan then took off running into the trees, completely ignoring the walking trail. His neighborhood was actually near this park, but if the thing that was after them came here, he wouldn’t leave a trail to his house. He had other places he could go. And, those places were also good spots to interrogate folks in private, because he was wondering if Christina had something to do with the creature.

(The first rule was made for the reason that the end of the response is a bit mature lol. And future responses will only get worse lmao!)

Christina snorts and mocks Jonathan. "Whatever, lad."

She notes his refusal to respond and smirks. "It's also very effective at entrancing people. That entire stunt in the lobby was. . . well, let's say I've still got it."

Christina laughs the entire time this is happening, altering her aura and thoughts so that she looks drunk.

"Mr. Lizard is a bad, scary man. He plans on doing naughty things to me!" she giggles, her words sounding childish; she was slurring her words slightly. Her cheeks were flushed.

(Lol. I’m of age, otherwise I wouldn’t have joined. And, I think Ōn’nyosh is proof of that, lmao!)

Jonathan ignored her mocking words, and deliberately didn’t respond to her added comment about her scent. But, it did explain why he was all of a sudden obsessed with Chamomile.

As Jonathan disappeared into the trees, he skidded to a stop. A guttural growl echoed from his throat, a sound that he shouldn’t have been able to make as a human.

For several long seconds, Jonathan fought to keep himself from going into a rage, then he turned around and walked back to Christina, his pace fast and his eyes glaring with a malevolence that he hadn’t let loose in decades.

Jonathan snatched her by the throat, his grip tight as scales grew on his fingers and claws replaced his nails.

“I can deal with you mocking my words and actions. But, the fact that you mock my honor is something I cannot abide. Besides, you are not worth wasting the time to grope, yet alone anything else! So, quit acting, before I get the idea to skin you alive, tails first,”he snarled.

He dropped her, inspecting the scales on his fingers. They were a bronze color, highlighted with different shades of green. Those scales brought back foul memories of a rebellion he had helped start, and of the one he had helped, the friend who proved false.

“What is after us? Or, is it simply after you? Or… did you call it?”Jonathan questioned, his fingers changing back to human skin and nails.

(I chuckle I know. Just an explanation, m'lady. And yeah, lmao! Never leave Christina and On'nyosh in a room alone. Nothing good will come of it XD)

Christina looks even smugger when Jonathan ignores her.

She giggles and doesn't even flinch.

"Oh my!" she exclaims as he lifts her up, then drops the act. She smirks and her tails appear. "Be careful of who your grabbing, shithead. Next time you touch me, you lose that hand."

The last sentence was said with a level of venom and violence impossible to fake. She really meant it.

When he drops her, she lands in a light crouch. Her tails don't disappear yet.

"Sure, I may have a contract for your head. But that creature? No clue what it is. Could be a shitstick for all we know." she shrugs, opting for the truth.

"And don't bother asking why I told you that," she adds.

(Thumbs-up. Then, pauses a moment before bursting into laughter. Good thing Ōn’nyosh is based in a medieval world and not a modern one, lmao! Though, that may not save us, snickers)

The fact that Christina was unfazed by his grip startled him. As did her tails. But, her words quickly brought Jonathan back to his anger. He didn’t back down easily.

When she announced her contract on him, he shrieked in anger, raising his once more scaly hand to cut her throat. However, he quickly caught himself, remembering what he was taught, and also what he has done.

Jonathan focused on her other words. She didn’t know what the creature was. That didn’t bode well. He sighed, breathing deep and lowering his hand.

“Give me one good reason why I should not leave you dead in a ditch somewhere,”he growled.

(I laugh There's nothing that can stop either one from meeting the other. {Btw, weird sidenote, is Anna a good nickname for you? What I mean is, would it be okay to call you that?})
(Btw, Christina wasn't lying about not having met Jonathan's kind before. She never said anything about Lucitius, now did she? I smile slightly)

"And if you think you can just scare me or do something to make me back down, know that it won't work. There're worse fates than death. Just ask Lucitius." Christina says with an unreadable look.

Again, she doesn't flinch. When he starts being rational again, she smiles.

"Because no matter how much I may loathe you and your existence, I hate being controlled more. I figured my best bet was with an outcast dragon shifter that gets easily provoked by a fox girl." she says casually, not putting any particular emphasis on any words.

(Lmao! [Shrugs. Sure. I have no problems with being called Anna])
(Mhm… the plot thickens I see, lol. Though, technically, Lucitius is the Creator of Ahkrethians. So, if she’s met him, then she’s met an Ahkrethian. Lucitius is just… unique… has no discernible scent… and is blue, very blue, lmao!)
(Also, I’m adding a plot twist that’s related to a canon event in my stories, lol)

Jonathan sighed in annoyance, then froze. He looked at her, stunned.

“How… how do you know him?”Jonathan asked quietly. There was a hint of reverence in his eyes, though it was toward Lucitius, not Christina.

He snorted at her words.

“You are being controlled? I call bullshit on that! And, I figured it was a good call not to show my true form. You already know what I am. Goddamn tricksters, can’t trust a one! So, fuck off. If it wasn’t for you and your damn Chamomile pheromones, I would not be here!”Jonathan snapped.

He teleported away, appearing in one of his hideouts in the woods. It was deeper in the trees than the one he had been originally heading for, but the park wasn’t huge.

Jonathan sat down against one of the trees, seething but also shaking. Christina knew Lucitius. Did she know that he had vanished? That he was missing? Did she know where he was? Probably not, considering that no Ahkrethian knew what happened, and they were more attuned to Lucitius than any other race.

But, Lucitius was a minor concern at the moment. How did Christina know he was an outcast? How did she even know he was Ahkrethian? Or was she guessing?

“Why does she have to make things so complicated?”he moaned under his breath.

Hopefully, this would all pass, and tomorrow would bring back some semblance of normalcy. Jonathan already spent his life looking over his shoulder. He didn’t want more reasons to be paranoid.

({Okay, good to know. I smile It kinda suits you. In my experience, Anna is the best name for someone like you. And that's a compliment.})
(I shrug God made humans. Does that make Him one?)
(Thumbs up That's fine. But don't think that the plot will stay like that XD)

"Just who did you think you were dealing with?" Christina glares. "You don't know anything about me. Nothing. I am called the Princess Without a Kingdom and the Knowing Fox for a very good reason."

She chuckles. "Yeah, yeah. But I can be controlled. And yeah, it was easy to tell. Especially your way of speaking. Nobody talks like that anymore. And chamomile, huh? That's what caught your attention. Good to know."

She huffs when he teleports away. Really, what a pain in the ass.

She sniffs, then makes her silent way towards Jonathan. She examines him for a moment.

"Because wherever I show up, it means times are changing." she replies. "I showed up when your Clans fell. And when your Great Creator disappeared. When Rome started its decline, I was there. I was also there when you Ahkrethians were created. When Rome became an actual empire, there I was. I wasn't there when Lucitius appeared. After all, I was just born myself."

She tilts her head now. "The world is changing again. You seem to be the center of it. You must remember a fox when you were banished, no?"

She grins now. "But enough of that. Where in this park are we?"

(Huh, that’s neat. Thumbs-up, grin)

Jonathan stared at her with wide eyes for a second, then growled.

“I know you are an insufferable bitch!”he snapped.

“My accent is light! What, because I have a formal tone, it’s obvious that I am Ahkrethian?”

He sputtered at her comment about the Chamomile and shook his head.

The moment she entered the hideout, Jonathan started to growl. He glanced up at her, glaring.

“Get the fuck away from me,”he hissed.

He then rolled his eyes as she spoke.

“Tribes. Ahkrethians are tribal, not clannish,”he corrected irritably.

He simply glared at her as she listed off the events she’s seen. He then snorted.

“No, unless you refer to a corrupt bastard that betrayed me the moment my purpose was done. And why in the hell am I the center of change? I am not that damn important! I am no royal, I have no noble bloodline, and I was banished and meant to be forgotten. I make my way how I can, nothing more,”he snarled.

He huffed at her question, not bothering to give Christina their location. Why should he? She had just turned his whole day upside down, and she seemed to be quite happy with herself for doing that.